Psalm 146; key verse, verse 9a—The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow but He frustrates the ways of the wicked. In both the Old Testament lesson as well as the Gospel, a poor widow gives all that she has because of great obedience and a strong faith. The key verse reminds us that the Lord will vindicate His own especially the stranger, the widow, and the orphan. The Psalmist invites us to praise the name of the Lord especially for His tender mercies to His people.
The praise of the Lord is
worthy of our trust.
Psalm 146 begins a series of five final songs in the
Book of Psalms, and the five are known as the Hallelujah Psalms. “In the
earlier psalms, we have studied the writers’ grief, shames, sins, doubts, and
fears. We have witnessed the people of God in their defeats and victories,
their ups and downs in life. We have encountered rebellious words and
struggling faith. All this is behind us now. In these final psalms every word
is praise.” (James Montgomery Boice)
We instantly connect this list with the work of Jesus
the Messiah.
· Jesus opened the eyes of the blind (Matthew
9:27-29).
· Jesus raised those who are bowed down (Luke
13:11-13).
· Jesus loved the righteous (Matthew 13:43, 25:46).
· Jesus watched over the strangers (Matthew 8:5-10).
· Jesus blessed the fatherless and widow (Luke
7:12-15).
· Jesus turned the way of the wicked…upside down
(Matthew 21:12).
· The logical conclusion is that Jesus is Yahweh, the
LORD.[2]
Sunday’s Theme of sacrifice is evident in all three of
our lessons for this coming week. In the Gospel a widow makes a sacrifice of
money by giving her last penny. The widow of Zarephath gave her last portion of
meal and oil to Elijah out of obedience to his command. Jesus made the
once-for-all-time sacrifice for the sins of the world out of love for
humankind. The Lessons call upon us to give our all as a sacrifice to God. As
we are nearing the end of the church year, the sermon hymn reminds us to keep
our heads up to be vigilant as the Son of Man will return at the right time to
bring this earth to a close.
Collect for
Psalm 146: God of glory and power, happy indeed are those who have put their trust in you. Shine the
brightness of your light upon us that we may love you always with a pure heart
and praise you forever; through Jesus Christ our Lord.[3]
-02 November 2021
[1] The Crucifixion Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts, copyright © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use
[3] Collect for Psalm 146, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, © 1996 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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